After This, Therefore on Account of It
by TheCarolean
Summary: Everyone wants a second chance. But can the future change if you know what your past choices will lead to?


**Everyone wants a second chance. Can you change your future if you know what your past choices will lead to?**

**Hallo, everyone I am new to this whole fan fiction thing so please don't shun me. My friend suggested I take up writing as a stress buster (and to eat breakfast every morning...), then told me to publish this story to take my mind off everything (and it's working!). So with that I hope you enjoy the story (that is still in progress) just a few heads up; the writing style is wierd, I don't know when I'll update next, and I OWN NOTHING!. Enjoy!**

Prologue: Part One

No one really gives a thought as to how they will die. I would assume that most normal people would prefer to die comfortably in their warm beds at a nice old age, surrounded by loved ones maybe even have someone holding their hand as they slipped away. But then there are those few who would prefer to die valiantly; fighting with honor for some noble cause. Even though no one really thinks about how they will die I suppose that deep down everyone has a particular way that they would like to leave this world.

Wouldn't you agree my strange reader? You may think differently than I on this point, and that is alright, but there is one thing that we can agree on; that nobody ever expects Death so suddenly.

No one; not Buquet, not Piangi, not even all those people now trapped with a burning Opera House. I can tell you, reader, that not a single one of them ever expected the Angel of Death to take them so suddenly.

How do I know?

Because, strange reader, it was I who killed them.

But, I would assume you probably already knew that as well, so I shall not bore you with the details of how I killed (or even why I killed them). But I will tell you that just before I killed them I saw the look of fearful acceptance within their eyes, the look that said "I am going to die."

No. No one ever expects Death to take them so suddenly, not even me.

It seems rather cruel that I should die like this; being caught off guard as I try to escape the destruction I caused by some nameless would be criminal.

Imagine that; me, a person who spent their entire life learning how to become a shadow to elude others, and who spent years of learning how to stay at least five steps ahead of everyone else in order to catch them off guard was taken by surprise by a nameless nobody (all for the money which I did not have).

Normally I would have ended this man's life without a second thought, and I would have seen that same look as the others had in their eyes as I robbed him of his life. But now it seems the tables have turned, and it is I who is slowly being killed by this man. The only difference is that I have already accepted to die, I had accepted the fact long ago at a young age, and now I wait patiently for Death to come as this man continues to beat the ever loving hell out of me.

"Are you really going to die for a couple of francs?!" The man asked as he kicked me in the stomach again (I had given up on counting on how many times he had already hit).

I spit up some of my blood and replied through pained gasps, "I…told…you…I…don't…have…any…money." How many times was I going to have to tell him this before he decided to end my life?

"You've got to be kidding me!" the man screamed as he continued to kick me like a dog.

I just liked there and waited for Death to come. Of course Death would take his precious time in coming to collect my broken soul.

I suppose the man tired of kicking me, for then he hoisted me up by the collar of my shirt then decided to add a few more lovely marks to my face. I don't even think he noticed my deformity.

"You aren't even making this fun for me!"

Typical sadistic bastard; he can't take pride in his "work" unless his victim begins to babble nonsense about sparing their life.

"What kind of man refuses to beg for his life? Especially one who is close to Death's door."

He stopped punching me; apparently I was supposed to give him an answer, so I gave him one.

"One who has given up." I stated simply.

I couldn't help but smirk as I saw his facial reaction.

Stunned. Stunned because despite the fact that he held a completely broken man before him I was still the victorious one, simply because I had given up and allowed him to beat me to a bloody mess.

His reaction quickly changed to anger once he saw the smirk upon my cracked and bloody lips.

I never saw him pull the knife on me, but I felt the coolness of the blade at my throat. An attempt to scare me, to make me beg for my life, but it was useless. My grinned widened as I felt the blade at my throat and all I could think of was that I was finally going to die.

"So you're not afraid to die." He stated slowly as he looked directly into my eyes, "I now hold a blade to your throat, and you can honestly say that you are not even scared?"

"Do I look scared?"

It truly infuriated this man that I was not afraid of him, or to die.

"Alright, so I will end your life, but before I do I must ask; Do you have any last words, or even any regrets that you would like to mention before you go?"

At his words I began to chuckle quietly to myself, I was amazed at how this man still believed he could scare me by making me believe that I was leaving this world behind with so many things left unsaid, and so many things left undone.

Oh, I have done everything I ever wanted to do, and I have said everything that I have wanted to say. And look at where it has gotten me! Dying at the hands of a nameless criminal.

My chuckle soon evolved into maniacal laughter; the laughter of a mad man who has just leaped off the edge of sanity and entered into the realm of insanity.

When my gaze fell on his I saw the confusion and fear hidden within his dark irises.

"I am amazed that you are still trying to make me suffer before I die. I applaud your efforts monsieur, really I do. Perhaps if you put this much effort into your own life you could be much more than just some nameless thug.

The truth is, monsieur, is that I have suffered a thousand times worse than this already, and not a damn thing you are going to do to me is going to make me break down and beg for my pitiful life. As for regrets I have only one, but I can't change it!

I made my choices and now I can never change them. If I could change my mistakes, if I ever believed that there was any hope left for me do you even think that I would allow you to kill me?"

I looked more closely at the man and now saw the undisguised fear in his eyes as I raved at him. He must have truly thought me mad, but I was beyond caring all I wanted now was to die.

"Kill me!" I screamed at him "What's the point of staying on this earth if I can't go back and change the mistakes I have made? Kill me now!"

When he did not honor my request I resorted to insults, "Or are you not man enough to-"

Dear reader, dying is painless. And as I fell to the ground and began to slip into the darkness I thought, _"So, this is what it is like to die."_


End file.
